If you are a real college basketball fan, that means you know more about Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas. None of whom find themselves in the top spot when it comes to rankings at this time of the year. The real story here is the play of teams where you would be hard-pressed to know their nicknames or even confuse them with another sport. Say hello to Gonzaga, Miami and, yes, St. Louis University as they are now firmly entrenched in the “Big Boy” club of college basketball.
For Gonzaga, most could not find this school on the map, and while they may be noted for producing Hall of Famer John Stockton, The Dragons have been that nice little Catholic School nestled away in Spokane, Washington that has found more than first-round success in the tournament but has never been a true contender for the Final Four.
Miami’s path is one where they had once discontinued basketball at the school once Hall of Famer Rick Barry departed for the pros in the sixties. Known for its football, to see the Hurricanes ranked as high as second this year is stunning to say the least. Yet the folks in south Florida still do not know what to do when it comes to supporting the program as they were waiting for spring football.
Then you have St. Louis University. Yes, the Billikens, perhaps the story of the year in college basketball.
It was announced this summer that then-coach Rick Majerus would not be back to coach this season due to health reasons, reasons that eventually cost him his life. Veteran college coach Jim Crewes was asked to fill in. Those who follow the program and those who knew Crewes knew this might be what the doctor ordered. Crewes is a seasoned veteran who may be old-school in some regards but has an ability to teach as well as communicate with kids of today. He made a few adjustments from the Majerus template and just started to coach up players.
From that point on it has been a fascinating combination of players who were maturing to team execution. The wins started to mount up, and for the first time in recent memory the Billikens were not only holding their own in the conference, they were beating nationally ranked teams as well even taking their act on the road and winning.
For those who have followed any of the these programs, the smile on the inside has become bigger and bigger. Only Gonzaga has any idea of what it is like to even win a league championship. If you are a real Billiken fan, you know that in all the conferences they have been in (The Missouri Valley, The Metro, The Midwest Collegiate, The Midwest Cities, The Great Midwest, Conference USA) they have not won one outright since 1957. Yes, 1957. They have a chance to change that this season.
Back to the “Big Boys” for a bit. As the aforementioned have struggled this year to be consistent, they have the NBA to thank for it. When the NBA decided to change the rules allowing the league to recruit straight out of high school after one year of college, the game changed. The well-known programs went after the “one and done” players hoping that they would be so successful that the following senior class would also choose old “State U.”
For a while it worked, but when entire classes elected to head for the hills of the NBA, things got a little sticky. Now these programs have the McDonald’s All Americans but not enough french fries to go with it in order to compete against the programs that took players who would need seasoning and coaching up.
Enter St. Louis University, Miami and Gonzaga. These programs had no choice but to coach and stay committed to players. The players had no choice but to stay at least three if not four years in order to excel. These players will be better suited for life at the next level, be it basketball or something, else as they have a better chance of achieving a college degree, which might come in handy down the road. Even if they want to coach some day themselves, a college degree is now required in most cases.
So with that in mind, while the quick fix of “one and done” has its advantages, it comes with great risk. You may have to get out of line when it comes to your status in the “Big Boy” Club. I will take natural growth any day if I can get the right player who understands why they are on campus in the first place.
For that skilled athlete who is good enough early to move on, who are we to say, “No, don’t go”? If they have the chance to get a start on a well-paying career, you can wish them nothing but the best – as I do with the new members of the Big Boys Club.
